dawson and g



A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEZG. I9I9.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2a. I9I9.

1,318,056. Pmenfed OCI. 7,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM.

GUN'MOUNTING.

APPLICATION r|LED1uN26.|919.

1,318,056. A Patented Oct. 7, 1919.v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

q/da

. Q rJl oo Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKH'AIVI, 0F VYVESTMINSTER., LON- DON, ENGLAND, .ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND. Y

GUN-MOUNTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

Application led J une 26, 1919. Serial No. 366,957.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that We, Sir ARTHUR TRnvoR DAwsoN, knight, and Sir GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, knight, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Gun-Mountings, of which the following is a specification.

Y This invention relates to a leveling device for use with a gun mounting carried by a movable structure, this device being for the purpose of enabling the training axis to be brought into and maintained in a position in which it is truly vertical. The invention is particularly but not exclusively applicable to mobile anti-aircraft gun mountings carried by trolleysy or trucks; it is also applicable to naval gun mountings and in this case the leveling device may be used for the purpose of compensating for the rolling movements and the pitching and tossing movements of the ship. Y

According to the invention the improved leveling device is made independent of the parts of the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two superposed lmembers or castings the upper one of which is adapted to receive the gun mounting and is capable of sliding on va curved bearing surface on the other or lower member and the latter is cav. pable of sliding on a curved bearing surface on a seating on the trolley or other movable structure for transporting the mounting, these curved surfaces being situated in planes at right angles to each other so that leveling adjustments of the gun mounting can be eected in any direction. lThe said bearing surfaces are preferably part-cylindrical and of large radius and suitable clips may be provided for maintaining the members in contact with the said bearing surfaces.

,..In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will nowv be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a side elevav tion and an end elevation of the leveling device. drawn to an enlarged scale, and

Figs. 4L and 5 are sections taken approximately on the lines 4, 4: and 5, 5 of Figs. 3 and 2 respectively.

A, B are respectively the upper and the lower members or castings of the leveling device, the former having a flat upper portion a to which the base of the gun mounting AX is bolted and part cylindrical lower surfaces a, a adapted to slide on corresponding curved bearing surfaces o', o on the upper part of the lower casting B; the latter is formed on its lower part with part cylino a', o are disposed at right angles to the Y surfaces b, o.

Themeans for effecting the adjustments of the castings Avand B comprise (see Figs. 2 to 5) two worms A and B of which the worm A is carried by the lower casting B and meshes with a worm-wheel segment A2 on the uppercasting A, and the worm B is carried by the seating C and meshes with a worm-wheel segment B2 on the lower castingB. It will be observed that the two sets of worm gearing are disposed centrally beneath their respective castings and that the aforesaid bearing surfaces are arranged in duplicate on each side of the gearing. The worm gearing is made capable of being readily removed for replacement or repair, for which purpose the worms are connected to their shafts A3, B3 by splines Vas shown so that the worms can be disconnected therefrom by withdrawing the shafts axially, therebyenabling the lower worm B to pass through a hole C2 in the seating C normally covered'by a detachable dustV guard 02. The worm-wheel segments are detachably connected by bolts or otherwise to the castings carrying them, the lower segment B2 when in position covering a slot b2 in the lower casting B; by removing this segment through the aforesaid hole C2 the slot b2 is uncovered to enable the upper worm A to pass through the slot and the hole and access can then be had to the upper worm-wheel segment A2 which, when detached, can be removed by passing it through the slot and the hole.

The worm shaft A3 is in Figs. .2 to 5 operated 'by handles a3, a3 either directly or through a ratchet contrivance as shown and the worm shaft B3 Yis similarly operated. In Fig. l the worm shaft A3 (not shown) is connected at its ends through bevel gearing to two vertical shafts A, A3* to the squared end of either of which, as may be found convenient, the stem of a hand-wheel a3* can be connected; the worm shaft B3 (not shownlis similarly connected to a vertical shaft B3* having a squared end to enable the stem of a hand-wheel to be connected. ,Spirit levels or other level indicating devices may be provided on the upper casting and suitable clips cx, 6X attached to or made integral with the castings are provided for maintaining the upper casting in contact with the bearing surfaces on the lower casting and the latter in contact with the bearing surfaces on the seating.

Instead of the worm gearing above described screw. threaded shafts and nuts may be employed. y

That we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. The combination with a movable structure for transporting a gun mounting, of a leveling device which is made independent of the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two superposed members of which the upper one receives the gun mounting and is slidably mounted on a curved bearing surface on the other or lower member and the latter is slidably mounted on a second curved bearing surface, these bearing Ysurfaces being so situated that the movements of the two members occur in planes at right angles to each other.

2. The combination with a movable structure for transporting a gun mounting, of a leveling device which is made independent of the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two superposed members of which the upper one receives the gun mounting and is slidably mounted on a part-cylindrical bearing surface of large radius on the other or lower member and the latter is slida-bly mounted on a second part-cylindrical bearing surface of large radius, these bearing surfaces Vbeing so situated that the movements of the two members occur in planes at right angles to each other.

3. The combination with a movable structure for transporting a gun mounting, of a leveling device which is made independent of the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two superposed members of which the upper one receives the gun mounting and is slidably mounted on a curved bearing surface on the other or lower member and the latter is slidably mounted on a second curved bearing surface, these bearing surfaces being so situated that the movements of the two members occur in planes at right angles to each other, and clips for maintaining each member in contact with its bearing surface.

'-1. The combination with a movable structure for transporting` a gun mounting, of a leveling device which is made independent of the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two superposed members of which the upper one receives the gun mounting and is slidably mounted on a part-cylindrical bearing surface of large radius on the other or lower member and theV latter is slidably mounted on a second part-cylindrical bearing surface of large radius, these bearing surfaces being so situated that the movements of the two members occur in planes at right angles to each other, and clips for maintaining each member in contact with its bearing surface.

5. The combination with a movable strucleveling device which is made independent Yof the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two superposed members of which the upper one receives the gun mounting and is slidably mounted on a curved bearing surface on the other or lower member and the latter is slidably mounted on a second curved bearing surface, these bearing surfaces being so situated that the movements of the two members occur in planes at right angles to each other, and worm gearing for adjusting each member.

6. The combination with a movable structure for transporting a gun mounting, of a leveling device which is made independent of the gun carriage and mounting and comprises two supcrposed members of which the upper one receives the gun mounting and is slidably mounted on a curved bearing surface on the other or lower member and the latter is slidably mounted on a second curved bearing surface, these bearing surfaces being so situated that the movements of the two members occurin planes at right angles to each other, a worm wheel segment detachably connected to the upper member, a worm meshing with said segment, a shaft which is slidably connected to the worm and is carried by the lower member, a worm wheel segment detachably connected to said lower member to cover a slot therein, a seating which is attached to the movable structure and is formed with the curved bearing surface for the lower member, a worm meshing with the last mentioned segment, a shaft which is slidably connected to the last mentioned Worm and is carried by said seating, upper member being remove/ble through the the last mentioned Worm When disconnected slot in the lower member and the hole in the 13 from its shaft and the last mentioned segseating.

ment when disconnected from the lower In testimony whereof We aiiX our signamember being removable through a hole in tures.

the seating and the first mentioned Worm When detached from its shaft and the rst ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. mentioned segment when detached from the GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

